Page 11 of This: Blake & Emon

Nurse Cole raised an eyebrow. “That fine man that keeps bringing you lunch is ‘complicated’?”

Blake couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how kind he was without seeking anything in return. “He’s good to me. Maybe too good, huh?”

“Too good? Child, what’s really bothering you?” Nurse Cole had been doing this long enough to know when someone was holding back.

“I don’t know.” Blake sighed, finally looking up from her computer. “My career is just starting to take off. I’m almost done with school. What if getting serious with someone messes that up? And plus, the way we met is all a mess.”

“Let me tell you something,” Nurse Cole said, pulling up a chair. “I’ve been doing this for twenty years. You know what I regret? I regret not prioritizing myself. And that’s in all capacities. We aren’t meant to do life alone. I don’t know why we keep putting that on ourselves.”

“But—”

“There ain’t no ‘but’ about it.”

“I like him.” She sighed like a high school teenager seeing her crush for the first time after summer break.

“I can’t tell you what to do, but people make time for what they want to make time for, and the way you just melted, you may already be a goner.” She wasn’t lying. She liked him.

A lot.

The hours ticked by in the controlled chaos that was their emergency department. By the time seven o’clock rolled around, Blake’s feet were screaming like howling dogs and her scrubs had definitely seen better days. She was spent and possibly ready to quit altogether.

Walking toward the parking lot, she spotted a familiar figure leaning against her car. Emon stood there in Nike shorts, a black tee, a gold chain resting on his chest, and socks and slides, looking like everything she needed after a long shift. Her car was gleaming under the parking lot lights, clearly fresh from a detail.

“So, this is what you been up to?” she called out, trying to fight her smile as she approached.

Just the other day she’d mentioned how overwhelmed she felt between clinicals, studying, and trying to keep up with basic life stuff. “I can either keep the house clean or the car. Can’t do both right now.” She’d sighed. She should’ve known he was plotting. He was always plotting.

Always.

“You act like I had something better to do than make sure my baby is straight.” He pushed off the car, taking in how tired she looked. “Car’s clean inside and out, oil changed, tires rotated, brakes good. Even got that light on your dash to go away. It looked like you had a graveyard of fries in this damn Tiguan too.”

She covered her face, embarrassed. The gas station down the street from the hospital had the best french fries. She’d been meaning to clean them up.

“You didn’t have to do all that.”

“I know. Now get in. I’m taking you home and ordering you some food.”

Twenty minutes later, they were on her couch waiting for pizza. Blake had showered and changed into sweats, and Emon was flipping through Netflix like he belonged there, which in his mind, he did. Hell, he had bought the couch after all.

“Can I ask you something?” she said, tucking her feet under her and leaning on his shoulder.

“Anything.”

“That day... how did you handle the situation? With the people who shot you? Did you shoot them?”

His face hardened slightly because yeah, he did. That was the code. But it was the last time he’d ever put himself in that position again, and he damn sure wasn’t going to tell her what he’d done. “It’s handled. That’s all you need to know.”

“But—”

“Nah,” he cut her off gently but firmly. “Some things ain’t for you to carry. Just know I handled it, and it won’t ever be a problem again.”

She studied his face, wanting to push but understanding his protection. “Fine, but you can’t get mad when I worry.”

“I ain’t mad at that.” He pulled her closer. “But you got enough on your plate without worrying about old business that’s been handled. Now, what we watching?”

Blake settled against him, knowing he was right but also knowing this man was going to have her heart doing backflips, whether she was ready or not.

Whatever they settled on watching became background noise as they flowed into easy conversation. They talked about serious things, silly things, just life, per usual. She appreciated how he didn’t shy away from questions, both asking and answering.

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